Paddlers: John Heiam, Lois Goldstein, Jocelyn Trepte, Sara Cockrell, Marv and Marlene Puska, Fred and Judy Swartz, John and Angie Willis, Tracie Lord, Linda Pelkey
Boats: three solo canoes and nine kayaks
Shuttle: Provide by Val, from Pine River Paddlesports Center
Weather: Cloudy, windy (no bugs), and cool
The water level made us plan our route through the rock gardens with care, but there was always a clear path. For a holiday weekend, it was remarkable that we had the river to ourselves. There was no one at the put-in, and we saw no one until lunch. At Upper Skookum, four people put in with kayaks, but we never saw them after that. By the time we got to Silver Creek Campground, most of the campers had left. This was a very pleasant, uneventful paddle, down a beautiful stretch of river.
Marlene picked up a large bag of trash at Briar Patch (our put-in). Jocelyn and Fred busied themselves on the paddle by picking up whatever trash they saw. By the end of the day, they had collected three large bags of trash. We were able to dispose of all the trash at Silver Creek Campground.
Here are a few of the happy paddlers:
Lois
Judy
Marv
Marlene
Tracie
Linda
Angie
Jocelyn
Fred
John Willis
Sara